SPECIAL GUEST: James Hughes (IEET). One of the biggest challenges of the future is how we deal with the changes, within society, with technology, and of ourselves. The Institute For Ethics and Emerging Technologies stands at the forefront of that conversation. In this episode, the Executive Director of the IEET, James Hughes, stops by to talk bioethics, techno-progressivism, transhumanism, and a dash of science fiction in the media and popular culture. It’s all about our changing world, our changing selves. Recorded 8/17/2016. Find out more at https://robotoverlordz.fm/show/411-ep00298-notes.

Netflix’s hot new show Stranger Things has swept us over to the UPSIDE DOWN!! This episode is a quick review of the phenomenon, along with a side of #FreeRangeKids discussion and shout-outs to our friends at Review The Future and The Singularity Bros. Recorded 8/7/2016. Find out more at https://robotoverlordz.fm/show/410-ep00297-notes.

SPECIAL GUEST: Eliot Peper. Returning to talk about his second book out this year is past guest Eliot Peper, author and advisor to startups. Mike had the chance to sit down and talk Burning Man, international crime, storytelling, Facebook, privacy, algorithms and filter bubbles with Eliot. With the extra synchronicity of some interactions on Scout.ai with past guests of the show. Tune in and find out more. Recorded 8/10/2016. Available at at https://robotoverlordz.fm/show/409-ep00296-notes.

For this episode we decided (with help from a Twitter poll — thanks to all who voted) to revisit one of our favorite punching bags… the TRANSPACIFIC PARTNERSHIP (aka TPP). What is it, and why is it so incredibly f***ing terrible? Tune in and find out… Recorded 8/7/2016. Find out more at https://robotoverlordz.fm/show/407-ep00295-notes.

SPECIAL GUEST: Lenore Skenazy (Free Range Kids). In this episode, we’re joined again by the author of Free Range Kids, to talk about the way parenting and childhood has changed since we grew up. Plus a dash of Pokemon Go, and the moral panic that has already begun over this augmented reality game that’s become so popular. Recorded 8/1/2016. Find out more at https://robotoverlordz.fm/show/406-ep00294-notes.

SPECIAL GUEST: Scott, Tom, & Zack of the Singularity Bros podcast. Overlordz VS Bros?!? Tune in for a romp through the podcasting goodness that is the SINGULARITY BROS. Also such highlights as Pokemon Dating. ZZTop Beards in Chicago. The Man From Earth and his incredible HIGHLANDER life. Crazy Augmented Reality to get rid of your one-night stands. All this can be yours… for the low low price of about 38 minutes. Recorded 7/27/2016. Find out more at https://robotoverlordz.fm/show/405-ep00293-notes.

SPECIAL GUEST: Calum Chace. Returning guest Calum Chace joins us to talk about his new book, The Economic Singularity, which really digs into the history, philosophy, and possible scenarios of TECHNOLOGICAL UNEMPLOYMENT. Tech Unemployment is the idea that as robots and AI take on more and more jobs, that eventually humans will have no option for legitimate work, at least under our current economic system. The Economic Singularity lays all of this out in incredible detail. Highly recommended read. Recorded 7/24/2016. Find out more at https://robotoverlordz.fm/show/404-ep00292-notes.

SPECIAL GUEST: Brett Horvath, Berit Anderson, & Michael Kaemingk (Scout.AI). In episode 173, we were joined by Brett Horvath to talk about the Kickstarter launch of Scout, a community and information site for people interested in the future. Now that Scout has launched, the whole leadership crew stopped by to talk about the launch, the site, the future, and the way society is changing. From some of the latest dispatches on Scout itself, to other stories that may be of interest to futurists, science fiction fans, and technologists, we tackle some of the big concerns that they've focused on and will be tackling going forward. Recorded 7/22/2016. Find out more at https://robotoverlordz.fm/show/403-ep00291-notes.

SPECIAL GUEST: Julie Carpenter. During the recent shooting of police in Dallas, the authorities made the decision to use a bomb robot to take out the shooter. This marks a shift in how humans and robots interact, and the cultural, societal, and criminal justice issues are complex and far-reaching. We're joined in this episode by researcher Julie Carpenter, who has been looking at these questions for a while now, to dig into the repercussions of this change. We also talk a bit about the military's use of robotics, particularly drones and the benefits and downsides of keeping humans in the loop. Plus a little about the Campaign Against Killer Robots. Recorded 7/18/2016. Find out more at https://robotoverlordz.fm/show/401-ep00290-notes.

SPECIAL GUEST: Alexandra Whittington (Fast Future). The blockchain. It’s the engine that powers BitCoin, the cryptocurrency. A distributed ledger that could serve as the basis for the quantification of trust. What impact could this have on education? Employment? We’re joined by futurist, professor and consultant Alexandra Whittington to dig into what this innovation could mean for transforming the human experience. Recorded 7/17/2016. Find out more at https://robotoverlordz.fm/show/400-ep00289-notes.